Our Team
Cypress Villages began as a seed idea in the mind of Dan Walker, our President and C.E.O. As the idea took root, Dan gathered together a team of avid environmental enthusiasts to help grow his dream. Here we are!
Meet Our Team
DAN WALKER, President and CEO Dan Walker is President and CEO of Cypress Villages. He is also President and CEO of the Walker Group, Inc. (WGI), an insurance adjusting firm that specializes in writing construction estimates for carriers. Additionally, Dan is the Instructor of the Commercial Damage Estimating Class for Vale National Training Group, the largest and oldest insurance adjuster training company in the U.S.
An Industrial Management graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Dan has been involved in construction for over 40 years. He has worked in carpet manufacturing at Spring Mills, Inc., and modular housing at Boise Cascade. His experience ranges from residential plumbing and carpentry to multi-million dollar commercial construction.
In 1985, Dan founded Walker Construction Company, Inc. (WCC, Inc.) in Fairfield, Iowa. For the next 7 years, he worked as a General Contractor and Specialty Sub-Contractor in the Washington, D.C. area, completing work for major clients such as Bechtel International, Turner Construction and The Washington Times.
In 1992, he returned to Fairfield and resumed contracting. He worked in Building Inspections throughout SE Iowa and became a multi-certified inspector with national recognition when he was selected to teach building code classes for the International Council of Building Officials in 1996. That same year, he was also selected as the lead Structural and Mechanical Inspector for Iowa City.
In 1998, Dan worked as a Public Assistance Officer with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). His work with FEMA served as a launching point for his career in the insurance adjusting business, where he aids insurance holders seeking recompense following natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods.
Dan formed The Walker Group (WGI) in 2003. Since that time, WGI has grown in its ability to support the insurance industry each year. In 2005-2006, WGI grossed over $10 million in revenues, managed over 250 insurance adjusters, and wrote over 12,000 construction estimates. WGI continued to grow in market share in 2006-2007.
ROLAND WELLS, Chief Operations Officer
Roland Wells has worked as a contractor and project manager on both residential and commercial projects in Fairfield, Iowa for 7 years. As Chief Operations Officer of Walker Group, Inc., he oversees daily insurance claims operations as well as off-site catastrophe field operations. Roland adds community experience and commitment to the ideals of the Cypress Group from his many endeavors in Fairfield. He co-founded and spent six years directing The Beatbox (http://www.thebeatbox.org/archive/june2003/), a nonprofit organization that helped structure education and entertainment for the youth of Fairfield. More recently, Roland worked with others to create the first grassroots, open-source community radio station in Fairfield, KRUU (http://www.kruufm.com).
BRAD JENNINGS, Project Manager, Estimator
Brad Jennings brings over 25 years of construction, project management and building experience to Cypress Villages. He has constructed a range of homes and both new and remodeled projects in Alaska, Arkansas and Iowa. He holds a B.A. in Physics and Mathematics from Maharishi University of Management. Brad’s specialty in carpentry is framing, siding, custom millwork and roofing. He has been instrumental in the design of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda (MSV) homes, and has managed his construction crew on multiple condos and other projects—the largest being an 8000 sf home. In 2004, Brad moved to Arkansas to work as project manager for McMahon Brothers, a large custom home construction company. When Brad returned from this position, he began work with WGI as an Insurance Adjuster.
JIM MASTERSON, Project Manager, Estimator
Jim Masterson has been working in construction and energy conservation for over two decades. He holds a B.A. in Education and has worked as an energy conservation inspector. His green building experience includes alternative energy work and 19 years as the owner of a painting and remodeling company that specialized in natural materials and finishes. Jim has worked as project manager on residential and commercial projects and is involved in investment real estate. In 2000, he was Facilities Manager of a large private resort. In 2001, he established and managed an organic greenhouse facility. He has worked for Walker Group, Inc. as an Insurance Property Adjuster for three years.